As the worldwide ITS business convenes for its largest annual occasion we choose key highlights you received’t need to miss, get perception from organizers and audio system, and discover out precisely why it’s that the Georgian state capital is main the world in good mobility
What makes Atlanta, Georgia, the best host metropolis for ITS World Congress 2025? You can level to its wonderful transportation system (the town is investing greater than $168 billion in safer roads, public transportation, and energetic mobility); or its worldwide flight connections (Hartsfield-Jackson Worldwide Airport serves round 286,000 passengers every day, making it the world’s busiest airport); or maybe the legendary Southern hospitality and delicacies (the areas lays declare to inventing fried rooster within the 1830s); or possibly its expertise in internet hosting worldwide occasions, with the legacy of 1996’s profitable Olympic Video games nonetheless in proof (downtown Atlanta’s inhabitants tripled from 5,000 to fifteen,000 within the decade after the video games). However the truth is, there may be an ITS-specific incontrovertible fact that trumps all of those legitimate causes.
The World Congress Middle is located near Atalanta’s iconic remark wheel
Town itself is what has been termed a ‘day one deployment district’ the place guests will witness the biggest C-V2X (mobile vehicle-to-everything) deployment on public infrastructure in the US – probably the world – working in actual site visitors circumstances, masking 1,200 signalized intersections, with continued enlargement throughout the interstate system ongoing.
So, when the worldwide ITS neighborhood convenes on the metropolis’s appropriately named World Congress Middle from August 24-28, 2025, inspiration will come not solely from the professionals gathered there but in addition from the know-how deployed within the surrounding metropolis and state, a truth embodied by the tagline of this 12 months’s occasion: Deploying Immediately, Empowering Tomorrow.
“We’ve targeted on making a linked ecosystem in metro Atlanta, not only a hall. I’m excited that on day one of many Congress, attendees will see real-world demonstrations of this know-how in motion” –
Commissioner Russell McMurry of the Georgia Division of Transportation
“We’ve targeted on making a linked ecosystem in metro Atlanta, not only a hall,” says Commissioner Russell McMurry of the Georgia Division of Transportation. “I’m AGD Methods Smarter site visitors management excited that on day one of many Congress, attendees will see real-world demonstrations of this know-how in motion– on public roads, with actual site visitors, transit, and emergency automobiles.”
Ramin Massoumi, world director of Clever Mobility Providers at Arcadis and the 2025 ITS World Congress Board Chair provides: “It’s necessary to exhibit the worth of V2X know-how – not simply in idea, however in apply. It saves lives, improves mobility, and reveals how we will scale this throughout the nation and the world.”
Moreover, the deployment of cooperative clever transportation methods throughout Georgia has helped the state to ship measurable advantages. “We’ve seen a 35% enchancment in transit on-time reliability and a 20% enchancment in freight effectivity close to the Port of Savannah, due to sign prioritization and pre-emption,” says McMurry. “And it’s not tremendous pricey in comparison with heavy civil infrastructure – about $10,000 per location.”
“We now have partnered with probably the most modern initiatives within the Atlanta regional space to offer attendees a firsthand have a look at the transformative applied sciences shaping the way forward for transportation”
Jaime McAuley, ITS World Congress occasion director at RX
The widespread connectivity can be making a framework for additional know-how deployment. “We’re increasing broadband connectivity statewide, which is foundational for ITS, CV2X, and sign know-how,” says McMurry. “We’re additionally deploying automated incident detection and utilizing machine studying and AI for predictive site visitors operations. We’re working with third-party distributors to ship security messages on to truck cabs in high-risk areas. Public-private partnerships are key to deploying the perfect know-how safely and securely.”
A worldwide innovation platform
The record-breaking World Congress program has practically 800 audio system. “It’s testomony to the breadth of innovation inside the ITS neighborhood,” says Jaime McAuley, ITS World Congress occasion director at RX, which organizes the occasion with ITS America. “We’re thrilled to host such a broad spectrum of audio system who will share insights on ITS options.”
Laura Chase, president and CEO of ITS America, reinforces the sensible focus: “The applied sciences showcased at ITS World Congress are pivotal in saving lives, strengthening transportation methods, and bettering mobility and entry. We stay up for welcoming our colleagues from world wide to expertise how current and rising digital options are reworking our infrastructure and broader transportation system.”
“The applied sciences showcased at ITS World Congress are pivotal in saving lives, strengthening transportation methods, and bettering mobility and entry”
Laura Chase, president and CEO of ITS America
The Opening Ceremony, which can happen at 9:45am on Monday August 25, will carry collectively an distinctive lineup of transportation leaders from throughout the globe, setting the stage for per week of high-level plenary classes, in-depth discussions and reside know-how demonstrations.
Audio system on the Opening Ceremony embrace Chase, McMurry and Massoumi, who can be joined by Joost Vantomme, CEO, ERTICO – ITS Europe; Akio Yamamoto, secretary normal, ITS Asia Pacific; Collie Greenwood, CEO, Metropolitan Atlanta Speedy Transit Authority; Solomon Caviness, transportation commissioner, Atlanta DOT; Anna Roach, govt director, Atlanta Regional Fee (ARC); and Joanna Pinkerton, senior vp, HNTB.
On Tuesday August 26 at 10am, the primary plenary session Making a Safer Future with Related and Automated Applied sciences, sponsored by Arcadis, will deal with the function of connectivity and automation in enhancing highway security and system effectivity.
The next day at 10am the second plenary Realizing Progress by means of Safe and Interoperable ITS, sponsored by Miovision, will discover the financial advantages of digital infrastructure and the significance of interoperability.
The third and ultimate plenary, on the Thursday at 10am, is entitled Constructing a Extra Resilient Transportation System with AI & Rising Applied sciences and can talk about synthetic intelligence’s function in enhancing infrastructure resilience and addressing transportation challenges, it’s sponsored by Google.
Tech excursions
Past the convention classes, attendees can take part in unique Tech Excursions that supply firsthand experiences in real-world settings throughout the larger Atlanta space. “We now have partnered with probably the most modern initiatives within the Atlanta regional space to offer attendees a firsthand have a look at the transformative applied sciences shaping the way forward for transportation,” says McAuley.
Excursions embrace a go to to the Infrastructure-Automotive Know-how Laboratory (iATL), positioned in Alpharetta, within the north of the Larger Atlanta space, it’s the world’s first private-sector linked car laboratory particularly constructed to check and deploy real-world ITS. The tour contains reside views of linked infrastructure from cities throughout the nation, together with out of doors demonstrations of emergency car preemption, college zone security, and weak highway person applied sciences “The iATL is the place we carry these concepts to life. It’s not about idea – it’s about displaying how this know-how works in the true world to construct safer, extra environment friendly communities,” says Bryan Mulligan, president & CTO of Utilized Info.
Atlanta’s Truist Stadium, residence to the Atlanta Braves and a vacation spot for an ITSWC Tech Tour
One other tour on provide is to the Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners, a 500-acre know-how park with a three-mile roadway that serves as a testing floor for autonomous automobiles, 5G mobile vehicle-to-everything know-how, good streetlights, and superior sign methods. The lab demonstrates the idea of interoperability, displaying how a number of good metropolis sensors and gadgets operate collectively in a totally linked and built-in surroundings. All gadgets are powered by 5G know-how, offering full visibility by means of good metropolis administration dashboards that attendees can observe in operation.
For these considering special-event site visitors administration a go to to Truist Park, residence to the World Champion Atlanta Braves, and the Cobb County Braves Stadium TMC is a should. The ability manages each vehicular and pedestrian site visitors for the 42,000+ seat stadium and the adjoining Battery Atlanta mixed-use improvement. Tour individuals will be capable of see how the middle deconflicts pedestrian and car actions by means of superior adaptive site visitors methods, offering real-time options for one of the vital difficult site visitors administration situations – main occasion ingress and egress.
A spotlight of the Tech Tour schedule is a go to to Georgia DOT Transportation Administration Middle (TMC) itself. For greater than 30 years, this facility has been because the nerve heart for Georgia’s clever transportation system. Working 24 hours a day, 12 months a 12 months, the TMC serves as headquarters for NaviGAtor –Georgia’s ITS community that enhances journey security and transportation effectivity throughout the state. The tour supplies perception into how a mature, large-scale ITS operation capabilities, from routine site visitors administration to emergency response coordination. This facility has managed site visitors for main occasions together with the Olympics and Tremendous Bowl, demonstrating how clever transportation methods scale to deal with each on a regular basis operations and extraordinary circumstances.
“Atlanta’s transportation ecosystem showcases how clever applied sciences resolve real-world challenges,” says Laura Chase. “The Tech Excursions spotlight the sensible purposes of ITS applied sciences that enhance security, effectivity and mobility for all transportation customers. Every tour supplies sensible insights that attendees can apply to their very own initiatives and jurisdictions, providing concrete examples of profitable ITS deployment and operation.
Investing in tomorrow’s leaders
The 2025 Congress takes a singular strategy to growing the following era of transportation know-how professionals by means of its Future Leaders Program, sponsored by Southwest Analysis Institute (SwRI).
“We’re investing within the subsequent era of transportation know-how leaders by creating alternatives for college students to showcase their modern options on a world stage,” says Chase. “The contributions from new expertise will assist form how we construct safer, greener, smarter transportation methods.”
The centerpiece of this system is a world essay competitors, which passed off forward of the occasion and invited faculty college students worldwide to deal with transportation challenges inside their areas that align with the convention theme, Deploying Immediately, Empowering Tomorrow. Three successful college students – one every from Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Americas – have obtained fully-paid journeys to Atlanta to current their analysis.”
“The Future Leaders Program connects college students with business pioneers,” says Josh Johnson, govt director of SwRI’s Clever Transportation Methods Division. “By presenting at ITS World Congress, college students achieve expertise sharing their analysis with world transportation leaders.”
The Future Leaders Program has a devoted day on Wednesday, August 27, which can embrace roundtable discussions with all of the individuals, guided excursions of displays and demonstrations, and resumé evaluations on the SwRI sales space. Scholar teams from world wide and native Atlanta-area will take part in classes designed to encourage careers in transportation know-how.
International influence
The 2025 ITS World Congress in Atlanta represents greater than a convention – it’s an indication of how clever transportation applied sciences can remodel communities when deployed at scale, whereas concurrently cultivating the following era of execs who will drive future improvements.
“I imagine within the energy of know-how and innovation to create higher outcomes for folks as they use our transportation community day by day,” concludes Massoumi. “Arcadis is proud to affix ITS America, ITS America Occasions, and really the world as Atlanta takes heart stage in 2025.”
This text first appeared within the August problem of TTi
